Creative Community

Currently, I'm trying to post a few times a week summaries of chapters from books I've read over the past few years. These are the books that have really informed my thinking on discipleship and small groups. Hopefully, they'll provide a good opportunity for you to think through some of these same thoughts.

Today, I'm looking at chapter four from the book The Search to Belong by Joe Myers. This chapter is entitled, "Group Chemistry."

The introduction to this chapter includes three important questions:

• Does everyone need to be in a small group to experience significant, healthy community?
• Do small groups help or hinder a person's search to belong?
• Are small groups honestly the most significant way a person can grow in relationship to others and to God?

Meyer's questions are a reaction against the stream of evangelicalism over the past decade which has suggested that "small groups" are a magic bullet to solve all things your church needs. Later in the chapter he addresses the sad truth that many churches have launched small groups as their MAIN THING simply because someone has told them this is the secret element to church growth. However, even with this great focus on small groups over the past several years, most churches consider themselves to be successful if only 35% of their people are participating in small groups. Meyers questions if we might be missing the point if success is less than half our people doing the thing we think is MOST important.

Meyers suggests the solution may be to rethink our ideas on small groups. If "belonging" is the goal, he suggests this might happen in several different kind of environments, which include but are not limited to small groups. Belonging, according to Meyers, needs to be cultivated but cannot be programmed. He suggests we begin to think of ourselves more as environmentalists, and less as programmers. His idea is that we seek to create a diversity of environments in which healthy connections and belonging can occur, rather than trying to force everyone into a small group template which likely won't work for at least two thirds of the people trying it.

These are important words. We need to consider them and seek appropriate venues to implement them. Small groups are a FANTASTIC method by which people can be connected to God and each other. But these same connections can also happen in large groups, in partnerships, and in many other circumstances we may not even be able to think about. We should regularly endeavor to be developing relationships of all kinds which may lead to spiritual connections.

One last thought. There is a danger in Joe Meyer's kind of thinking. Occasionally, I feel like he's lost sight of the ULTIMATE goal, which is not connection or belonging but being right with God. That said, knowing that God has told us in His Word that we grow closer to Him through our relationships, we must make an effort to connect and belong to others. However, those connections can never be an end in themselves, but must rather ALWAYS be a means to closer union with God.

What is the closest you've ever been to a celebrity? What did you do or say? Was it a good experience or a bad experience?

Near the end of his life, Jesus was a celebrity of sorts. Why do you think this was?

As a group, read Matthew 21:1-11.

Read Jesus' instructions in verses 2-3. How would you have felt if he gave those instructions to you? Why do you think the disciples obeyed him?

Why do you think Jesus chose to ride a donkey instead of a horse into Jerusalem?

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowd treated him like a king. In your opinion, what did they expect him to do next?

Undoubtedly, many people were disappointed when Jesus didn't fulfill their expectations. Have you ever known someone who was disappointed when God didn't meet their expectations?

What are some unrealistic expectations we sometimes have of God? What can we do to keep our expectations of God rooted in truth? How can the time we spend in God's Word influence this?

Which of these titles do you feel is the best description of this passage? Explain your answer to the group.

• The Humility of Jesus
• Obeying When You Don't Understand
• Misinformed Masses
• How Not to Be Disappointed With God

What is one thing you are taking away from this passage and this discussion?

What is the best advice you've ever received?

As a group, read Ecclesiastes 12:1-8.

Verses 2-7 are a description of how life changes as we grow old. Discuss what you think the following expressions are describing about the aging process:

• "the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened"
• "the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent"
• "the doors on the street are shut -- when the sound of grinding is low"
  
• "they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way"
• "the mourners go about the streets"
• "the dust returns to the earth as it was"

Why do you think Solomon was painting such a negative picture of the aging process?

Verse one says, "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth..." Why is it better to be thinking about God when you are young rather than when you get old?

Do you think it is easier to serve God when you are young or when you are old? Why?

Read verses 13-14. What do you think it means to "fear God"? Which of God's commandments are easy to keep? Which ones are more difficult to keep?

Reread verse 14 again and just silently contemplate its words for a moment. Is this an encouraging verse or an intimidating verse? Why? Does your faith in Jesus change the way you look at this verse? Should it?

Using your own words, what do you think it means to "Remember your Creator" and "Fear God and keep His commandments"?

How will this discussion impact your life in the coming week?

In case you're scrambling tonight, or if you're looking for something to bring some sanctification to your St. Patrick's celebration, here's a short discussion guide based on today's holiday. You can read more about St. Patrick here.



pdf here

My group did this last week, and while some were hesitant at first, all of us enjoyed the exercise and came away having grown a little bit.

Here is a link to the pdf of this study.

The rules are really quite simple:
Begin with one person adding one item to one list.
Moving clockwise, everyone takes a turn adding one item to one list.
Each person must choose a different list each time it is their turn.
Each person may only "pass" once.



Once your group has filled all the lists ask two questions to the entire group:

1) What is one item someone added to a list that made you smile? Why?
2) What is one item someone added to a list that challenged you? Why?

Encourage everyone to keep their lists handy throughout the week as a reminder of how to pray for each other, passages they can be encouraged by, or anything else which might benefit them!

Currently, I'm trying to post a few times a week summaries of chapters from books I've read over the past few years. These are the books that have really informed my thinking on discipleship and small groups. Hopefully, they'll provide a good opportunity for you to think through some of these same thoughts.

Today, I'm looking at chapter three from the book Christ's Call to Discipleship by James M. Boice. This chapter is entitled "Taking Up the Cross".

This was a powerful chapter, so powerful in fact, that I decided to simply post several of Boice's quotes without any of my own commentary. He's a better writer than I am anyway.

• there is a fatal flaw in the professing church today: a lack of true discipleship
• what is lacking is ...the need for self-denial, expressed as taking up the cross. In this area it is not only self-denial that is lacking; it is an area about which we do not even speak.
• This would be puzzling to saints who lived before us. If they could observe us today, they would never understand how we profess to follow Jesus and at the same time ignore self-denial, because to them self-denial would seem to be the very essence of what it means to be Christ's.
• Martin Luther, among others, considered suffering to be a mark of the church and a badge of discipleship.
• This is the "hard" saying of Jesus about discipleship. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
• The theme is frequent. The command to "take up" or "bear" the cross occurs five times in Christ's teaching (Matthew 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27)
• In my judgment, the real reason why so many do not talk about self-denial and cross-bearing as essential ingredients of Christianity is that we just do not like these ingredients.
• We like the promises of Christianity. We want to be told that God will heal broken relationships, resolve inner conflicts, and prosper our work.
• But denial? Taking up a cross? Suffer? We dislike that teaching. A preacher who wants to see his church grow soon learns to stop talking about it. Instead, he tells people things that will build their self-esteem.
• Self-seeking is the opposite of self-denial. Self-seeking caused the fall of Satan (Isaiah 14:13-15).
• The most noticeable feature of Satan's boast is the fivefold repetition of the words "I will." "I will ascent to heaven... I will raise my throne above the stars of God... I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly... I will ascend above the tops of the clouds... I will make myself like the Most High"
• This spirit has passed to our race through the fall of Adam (Isaiah 53:6; 2 Peter 2:10; Luke 15:12; 2 Timothy 3:1).
• The opposite of that destructive way of life, is the path of self-denial marked by the Lord Himself in His submission to suffering (Philippians 2:5-11).
• But it is not only that we are to say no to self, which is what denyings self is all about. We are also to say yes to God, which is what taking up the cross involves.
• Cross-bearing involves prayer and Bible study. These take time and must be chosen and pursued, rather than other pastimes that we might humanly prefer.
• Cross-bearing involves the items Jesus listed in Matthew 25:31-46 -- These are not easy things to do. They involve denying oneself time, money, and convenience.
• Cross-bearing involves witnessing. It means putting oneself out for the sake of the ones God sends into our lives.
• Essentially, cross-bearing means accepting whatever God has given us or made us and then offering it back to Him, which is "your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).
• When Jesus uses the word "daily", saying "take up your cross daily and follow me," He is saying ... that the cross must be taken up afresh each day.
• In most cases, the only thing that will ultimately get us going along this path of self-denial and discipleship is following after Jesus, which means setting our eyes on Him as He has gone before us. Jesus is the model for our self-denial. He is the image of cross-bearing.

These are challenging words from Luke and from Dr. Boice. How can our small groups become places where people are encouraged and enabled to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Jesus?

If you could boast about one thing right now, what would you choose? Why?

If someone asked you to boast about God right now, what would you say? Why?

As a group read Psalm 150 and answer the following four questions:

• Who are we to praise?
• Where are we to praise him?
• Why are we to praise him?
• How are we to praise him?

What are some things or people we are sometimes tempted to worship? How can you avoid these temptations?

"Praise" is a word that appears regularly in this Psalm. In the Hebrew, it is the word from which we get "Hallelujah". Basically it means to give highest praise to or about someone, to celebrate them, or to boast about them.

As a group, list 7-10 "boasts" you can make about God right now.

The author of this Psalm undoubtedly thought of the Temple as God's tabernacle. Where is God's tabernacle presently? How does this change where we worship him?

What do you think it means to worship God in the "heavens?"

What are some of the great deeds that God did for Israel in their past? From what sorts of things did He deliver them?

What are some of the great deeds that God has done for you? From what sorts of things has He delivered you?

What is God's greatest act in human history? How did that great deed deliver us?

Read through the list of instruments in this Psalm. What kind of worship do you think they describe?

Why do you think the author finished this list by saying, "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD."?

Have each person in the group give at least one thing they will do this week to praise the LORD with their life.

Do you have any good "restoration stories"? (cars, houses, relationships, etc.)

What types of emotions result when a broken relationship is restored? Why is it often so difficult to restore a broken relationship?

What kinds of things cause our relationship with God to be broken? How do we restore our relationship with God?

Read Psalm 51:1-6. Which of these verses make the biggest impression on you? Why?

What character traits does David use to describe God in these verses? How does David speak of himself in these verses? Do your feelings about yourself ever seem similar to David's?

Read Psalm 51:7-12. What does David want God to do for him?

In verse 12, David talks about the "joy of salvation". Have you ever experienced the joy of salvation? How would you describe it?

Have you ever had a time when you felt that God "restored" your relationship with Him? How did you respond?

Read Psalm 51:13-19. Verses 13-15 talk about how we respond after God forgives us. Do you think most Christians spend enough time telling others what God has done for them? Why or why not?

When God forgives our sins, what should we tell others about that experience? In your own words, how would you describe God's forgiveness?

What is one key thought you have as a result of looking over this Psalm?

I'm going to use this small group discussion tonight with my group. It's a "How to Pray" exercise designed to help people think of prayer as more than just a vending machine approach to God. Click on the picture below to get the pdf file of the study.



By the way, the four steps are:

• Prepare
• Posture
• Praise
• Pursue